Chinese regulators will end Qualcomm's 'reverse patent licence' practice that allows the chip makers' clients to employ each other's patents free of charge, Chinese reports said this week, indicating that the patent wars between smartphone makers are likely to begin.

The US International Trade Commission has banned the sale in the US of certain Samsung devices, owing to patent disputes with Apple. Since the Obama administration blocked a similar ban against Apple devices, they must block this one, both on the merits and for political reasons.

Shanghai's Zhizhen Network Technology has accused Apple of violating its patent used in Siri, claiming it developed and patented a product with similar speech recognition technology before Siri was developed.

GooPhone i5 makers, a Chinese knockoff phone manufacturer, says it has applied to patent the aircraft design in the rumored iPhone 5 in a bid to block Apple’s yet-to-be launched new iPhone from entering the China market.